We were lucky to catch up with Kanithea Powell recently and have shared our conversation below.

Kanithea, appreciate you joining us today. It’s always helpful to hear about times when someone’s had to take a risk – how did they think through the decision, why did they take the risk, and what ended up happening. We’d love to hear about a risk you’ve taken.

I will start by saying that new beginnings are often disguised as uncomfortable endings

I left my job last year. I had a good salary, a 401k and a pension. I was active in the company and doing things that at one point in my life, I believed in. When the pandemic hit, everything changed. I realized I had become too comfortable, the company I loved had changed and so had the people. All of the uncertainty, injustice and unrest from Trump to BLM, forced me to ask myself some serious questions. Like is this all there is? How can I continue to work for a company that doesn’t believe in the value of my life or people who look like me? Is this my purpose? Everyday that I walked into that office or logged on to my computer, I felt like a piece of me died. That feeling was so overwhelming that I couldn’t ignore it.

I could no longer give so much of myself to a company I no longer believed in. So on a Monday morning in the middle of a call I decided to separate from that company and leave it all behind me. To most people that sounds crazy, what was I thinking, right? People were out there losing their jobs and here I am walking away from a pension.

But I tell you, it was the best decision I have ever made.

After leaving my corporate job I sold my house, moved across the country and launched a startup, QFN TV, an OTT streaming platform which launched in July. A funny thing happens when you choose yourself, things start to shift. We are now in over 170 countries and we can be found on Roku, Amazon Fire, IOS, Android, Android and Apple TV.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your background and context?

A little bit about me. I grew up in the small historic town of Eatonville Florida. I was and still am a country girl with a big imagination and a soul that is deeply dipped in creativity. I was born to a poet and an entrepreneur. I’m an award winning filmmaker, I’ve written on a few television series and authored a coffee table book called Butch: Never Judge a Butch by her Cover that is in over 23 countries. I have been many things over the course of my life. A writer, director, homeless, a survivor of abuse, loved, fearless, depressed, kind and forgiving. But the best thing I have ever chosen to be is my authentic self. A funny, blackity black, purpose driven, authentic creative that has a deep desire to uplift and inspire others. I have walked the corporate path for over half my life. I will not say my age, I’m just going to hold on to that narrative that black don’t crack. The thing I am most proud of is that I finally found the courage to lean fully into my purpose.

Starting QFN TV has been a lifelong dream. To have a say in the type of programming that enters the world is a powerful place to stand. I have always felt that in order for us as black people to change how the world sees us, we would need to be the people that have the power to green light the projects that end up on the screen. Placing that responsibility in the hands of people who do not understand or care to understand our culture is where the issue has been. I created QFN TV to offer a solution to that problem. The audience gives us their most prized possession, their time. They don’t get that back so at QFN TV we desire to create content that depicts us as the dimensional beings we are. Capable of deep emotions, love, sadness, joy, pain and massive success.

I want people to know that QFN TV is a company that creates art that allows its audience to see themselves through a lens of authentic truth and perfect self-expression. I am proud that I have the courage to keep walking forward into the unknown, willing to climb the mountain in front of me and open to whatever that journey brings.

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

Growing up had its challenges. I forget who said, “life is a beautiful opera, except it hurts”. Well, that pretty much sums up my journey in this life. Having to deal with childhood traumas, homelessness, and depression, life at times, has felt like an uphill battle and if I’m being honest, some of those experiences really broke me down. I think it was Hemingway who said “life breaks everyone, and afterward, many of us are stronger in the places that broke”. After everything I have been through I have learned a few things. I have learned the value of standing in my truth. I have learned to trust myself and my ability to create. I have learned to be gentle and forgiving with myself and appreciate my failures as much as my successes. I have learned to leave my ego behind and be flexible. Things don’t always show up how you dreamed them, just stand in the space of allowing and be ready when the moment comes. I have learned to let things go. Ugh, that’s a big one. Let go of the failures, the heartbreaks and the mistakes, just let it all go. I don’t know about most people but I know that I have spent too much time revisiting moments that I can’t revise. You were who you were in that moment, we just have to show ourselves grace, release it and be okay with how things ended.

Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?

There are so many things around us that tell us that we are not worthy of the simple luxuries in life like safety, wealth, joy and peace. The world loves it when you compare yourself to others, when you feel inadequate, less than. When you are constantly comparing yourself to other people you never really evolve into the person you are supposed to be. I had to unlearn those behaviors. In order to stand in my rightful place and bring the beauty that I possess in this life I had to choose to let go of that old way of thinking and find the courage to forge my own path. I think Van Gogh said it perfectly, “normality is a paved road, but no flowers grow there” and I desire to see and smell the flowers. I deserve the opportunity to stand at the door of the unknown with my back erect and walk confidently in the direction of what I desire to create. So putting down those things that the world likes to impose was a necessary act. Choosing to believe that I am worthy of everything beautiful and glorious changed everything. I’m fearless now and no one can convince me of anything different.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.qfntv.lightcast.com
• Instagram: @qfntv @qwestfilms
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/qfn-tv-7a57a8211
• Other: TikTok – @qfn_tv